Hoffman: This infomercial has a familiar face

Published 6:30 am, Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The other night, I couldn’t sleep and was hitting the remote control pretty hard.

I settled in on an infomercial for the Miracle Lid — breakthrough technology in cooking that allows you to sauté , steam, fry, bake, roast and grill, all in the same pot!

By combining the perfect ratio of heat, steam and pressure, the Miracle Lid lets you prepare hundreds of sensational meals with practically no added fats!

I love infomercials but only infomercials that hawk household items or cooking products. I can’t watch infomercials that promise financial freedom or a ripped, lean body in 60 days. And that infomercial for colon cleansing is disgusting.

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But show me an 8-pound vacuum cleaner that can lift a bowling ball? I’m so there.

So I’m watching Chef Nick use the Miracle Lid to cook pasta with no water, while his sidekick hostess gasps with amazement and gushes over each bite like she hasn’t eaten in a month. You know, it’s the typical infomercial team. The experienced male expert and the wide-eyed female host who can’t believe what amazing events are taking place, all because of this earth-shattering product that could be on my doorstep in 4 to 6 weeks.

Then, as I’m watching, it suddenly hits me …

Hey! I know that woman! The one who can’t believe you can make a delicious pot roast with less fat, less oil, in half the time, from frozen to fabulous in under 30 minutes!

Hey! I know that woman! The one who can’t believe you can make a delicious pot roast with less fat, less oil, in half the time, from frozen to fabulous in under 30 minutes!

That’s Eileen Faxas, the former reporter on Channel 11 News.

She’s doing infomercials now?

“Yes, that’s me, but I’m doing a lot of things now, not just that,” she says. “I live in Miami, and I’m recording my second CD, and I’m about to perform in the first Florida production of Les Misérables, and later this week I’ll know if I am cast as the lead in another musical,” Faxas says.

Faxas worked on Channel 11 News from 1998 to 2005. She was one of the Defenders, sticking up for the little guy in his daily battle against the world.

When she left, she told Channel 11, simply, “I want to go sing.”

“I meant that. I wasn’t trying to get out of my contract so I could go to another station or anything like that. I loved working in television news. It was hard to walk away from it. I really cared about the people we were helping. But it was time for me to begin another phase of my life. I was compelled to do it,” Faxas said.

Her first CD was titled Dance, Cry, Swing, and it was upbeat and jazzy. The new CD, she says, will be more reflective, quiet and emotional.

As for the Miracle Lid infomerical,

“It took three days to shoot. First I had to learn about the product. It’s a universal cooking lid that fits on any size pot or pan. Basically it turns all your pots and pans into a pressure cooker. It was invented by a South African doctor who wanted his patients to eat more healthfully. He sold it to an Italian company, and it sold very well in Europe, and now it’s coming to America.

To catch snippets of the Miracle Lid infomercial, go to www.eileenfaxas.com and click on videos. Or just stay up late any night and zap around the TV dial.

Under Chef Nick’s mastery and urged on by Faxas’ hunger pangs, the Miracle Lid cranks out spectacular dish after dish during the 30-minute infomercial. He throws dry pasta into a pot, drops in some spaghetti sauce and garlic, turns up the heat and 20 minutes later … delicious!

Where’s the phone? It’s 3 a.m. and I MUST have this Miracle Lid — for only three easy payments of just $19.95, plus shipping and handling.

“It was fun doing the Miracle Lid infomercial. It wasn’t much different from reporting. I was just communicating and being myself.”